Warning: Taking One of These Medications Can Cause Permanent Memory Loss – GTM

In psychology, memory is the process in which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. Encoding allows information from the outside world to be sensed in the form of chemical and physical stimuli. In the first stage the information must be changed so that it may be put into the encoding process. Storage is the second memory stage or process. This entails that information is maintained over short periods of time. Finally the third process is the retrieval of information that has been stored. Such information must be located and returned to the consciousness.

Did you know that prescription drugs are responsible for over 100 000 deaths annually? About 1.5 million people experience serious side-effects caused by prescription drugs, and the same side-effects are now the 4th leading cause of death in the United States! The most common side-effects from prescription drugs are memory loss and other cognitive problems.

Top 3 types of drugs that cause memory loss

Prescription drugs that cause side-effects can be divided into three groups: “Anti” drugs, sleeping pills and statin drugs.

The “Anti” drugs

The “Anti” drugs (antihistamines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antibiotics) can lower your acetylcholine levels. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter which is related to memory and learning. If you’re suffering from low acetylcholine levels, you can experience symptoms such as mental confusion, delirium, blurred vision, memory loss and hallucinations.

Sleeping pills

Sleeping pills are very popular, but are also notorious for causing memory loss. Ambien, for example, has been referred to as the “amnesia drug”. People who have used it have reported symptoms such as night terrors, sleep walking as well as hallucinations.

Sleeping pills can put you in a state similar to a coma and bypass the restorative sleep your brain needs.

Statin drugs

Statin drugs are supposed to lower your cholesterol levels, but they may be the worst kind of drug for your brain. About a quarter of our brain is made from cholesterol, which is necessary for learning, memory and fast thinking. As statin drugs are responsible for lowering cholesterol, it’s not hard to see how dangerous they can be for your brain.